Lynx Defense

reloading .380 ACP question.

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  • jcb7469

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    So the girl is picking up a walther pk380. And thats seems to be a farily rare caliber at the local wally world. I read somewhere that .380 shares a bullet with 9mm is this accurate. I know case and powder will be different just wondering.
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    Younggun

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    Kinda, it is the same diameter but outside of the 95gr there aren't any shared bullets. Very few 9mm loads go that light and .380 isn't gonna do well with anything heavier.

    Be careful loading .380, the small case capacity and powder charge makes overcharging very easy.
     

    deemus

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    380 cases are small, so you have to be careful when setting up your dies. I crushed a few case mouths before getting my powder through expanding die set just right.

    Also, I ordered bullets from Montana Gold. Free shipping and $115 for 1K. The 95 g bullets work great.
     

    Vaquero

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    Don't seat the bullet too deep. That small case wil have major pressure changes due to change in seating depth.
     

    ROGER4314

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    I load for .380, 9x19 Luger and 9x18 Makarov. I echo the comments about overcharging the cases. Any case is vulnerable to overcharge but the tiny amount of Bullseye required for the .380 makes it tough to see a double charge. A double charge will easily fit in the .380 case.

    I use cast lead bullets to load the 9x18 and Remington 95 grain FMJ for .380. So far, they have been easy to get.

    Incidentally, the 9x19 Luger and 9x18 Makarov cases are very similar and you can trim a Luger case to use it for 9x18. I also load the .380 so it would be easy to pick the WRONG cartridge for the pistol I'm using. For that reason, I never use anything but the proper case with correct headstamp. Using a 9x18 Mak load with a 9x19 headstamp case is asking for trouble.

    It's been my experience that the small cases are harder to load. I have giant hands so that may be something that my hand size creates. It may be different for you.

    Flash
     
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    jrbfishn

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    If you want some .380 brass, i have about 275,you can have them. Guns galore in killeen has 90 grhp for 380 and berry's,extreme and rocky mtn reloading all have 100 grain. I know they work well in my 9mm


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    jcb7469

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    Thanks jrbfishn, i may take you up on that when i get home. I gotta tell you im not really a big fan of guns galore, too much of a lets gouge the troops kind of feel everytime i went there(of course most of killeen gives me that feeling). Could of just been a chip on my shoulder who knows?
     

    Younggun

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    Thanks jrbfishn, i may take you up on that when i get home. I gotta tell you im not really a big fan of guns galore, too much of a lets gouge the troops kind of feel everytime i went there(of course most of killeen gives me that feeling). Could of just been a chip on my shoulder who knows?

    My "go to" place for bullets has been precision delta. Order in a multiple if 2000 and shipping is free. Don't know if they carry anything for .380 though. Cheaper than I've found at any brick and mortar store.
     

    jrbfishn

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    I have not shot them yet but they fit the case a little better than berry, and cheaper than rainier. Fixin to order more. I like the sierra 90grhp for 9mm, they should work great in .380, thats what they were made for. Or berry,s 100 gr rn


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    Paul5388

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    I think I have something that shoots a .380, so I got a mold for it and for light .38 Special. Here's what they look like loaded.
    380_zps8ea9f94b.jpg


    I also use this 105 gr bullet for 9mm Mak, 9mm Largo, 9mm Luger, .38 Special and anything else that needs that size. My Russian Mak has a .356" barrel instead of the larger standard .364" barrel.

    BTW, the easiest way to avoid double charging is to put a bullet in the case as soon as it has powder. It isn't much slower, if you're using a powder measure and a scale.
     
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    Younggun

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    My concerned were less with double charging than with charge accuracy using a powder measure.

    My first attempts were with a lee auto disc. Not accurate enough for the small charges. I could have got the micro charge bar but had seen mixed reviews.

    I have another powder measure that I think would be more accurate but haven't tried yet. The min and max loads are so close on that round that it wouldn't take much variation to put you over max pressure.

    It's not a dangerous cartridge to load for, just less forgiving.
     

    shortround

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    .380 is no different than any other straight-walled pistol cartridge, unless you have really fat fingers and can't seat the bullet on the charged case.

    A 95-100 grain bullet is about as heavy as that caliber will reliably cycle in a pistol.

    I've had good results with RCBS dies, Winchester Brass, Berry's Plated Bullets, Winchester Small Pistol Primers, and AA Powder.

    Lower velocities result in better accuracy.
     

    Paul5388

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    Any powder measure works better with ball/spherical powder. Flake and extruded tubes have a tendency for "bridging", which affects the accuracy. IMO, Lee powder measures are the least trustworthy.
     
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